The present invention concerns equipment of the type found in gymnasiums and fitness centers as well as in the home for exercising purposes.
Practioners of karate, including both adults and children, utilize the legs in several maneuvers and accordingly leg flexibility is highly desirable. Such flexibility is achieved by regular stretching of certain muscles of the upper leg. Toward this end a number of stretching devices have been disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,921,975; 4,277,062; 4,781,373; 4,877,239; and 4,844,453. Generally the devices shown for imparting stretching movement to the upper legs include a pair of swingably mounted, diverging arms which act on the legs to impart horizontal opening movement to the legs. Various means are disclosed for actuating the swingably mounted arms. A serious drawback to the proposed mechanisms is the complexity of same resulting in prohibitive cost of such equipment. A further drawback to known stretching devices is that they are not readily adaptable for use by both adults and children.